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House GOP channels ‘Nighthawks’ as they try to pass Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
House Republicans are channeling Edward Hopper this week as they try to pass President Trump’s big, «beautiful bill.»
Hopper is known for «Nighthawks,» one of the most iconic paintings in American history. The 1942 painting depicts four people in a diner in the middle of the night. A deserted streetscape commands the foreground. Two men – heads festooned with fedoras – sit separately at the counter, nursing coffee. One of the men has a cigarette tucked between his index and middle fingers. He’s positioned next to a woman with scarlet hair and a red dress. She appears to holding a bite of a doughnut or sandwich, studying it as though it were a rare artifact. She seems to debate whether she should eat it. A young counterman – attired in white with a crisp envelope hat – leans downward in search of glassware or dishes hidden underneath.
It’s the dead of night. Everyone is distant and detached. Even the couple – even though they sit side-by-side – don’t look at each other.
Nighthawks, 1942, oil on canvas, 84.1 x 152.4 cm (33 1/8 x 60 in.), Art Institute of Chicago. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)
In Nighthawks, everyone appears as though they’re just trying to make it through the night to dawn.
It’s kind of what House Republicans are going through this week.
‘DEAD OF NIGHT’: DEMS ACCUSE GOP OF COWARDICE OVER LATE-NIGHT VOTES ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ BUDGET BILL
The House Budget Committee convened at 10:26 p.m. ET Sunday night to advance the tax cut and spending reduction package after a hiccup stalled the measure Friday afternoon. At 10:39 p.m. ET, the committee approved the bill 17-16 – with four House Republicans voting «present.»
Representative Jodey Arrington, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Budget Committee, center, speaks during a House Budget Committee meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The next stop is the House Rules Committee, the final parliamentary way station before depositing a piece of legislation on the floor.
At 12:31 a.m. ET Monday, the Rules Committee announced it would prep the bill for the floor – with a meeting at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. That session could last all day Wednesday. Literally. The Energy and Commerce panel met for 26 consecutive hours last week to prepare its section of the budget reconciliation measure. The Ways and Means Committee huddled all night long.
The group of House Republicans pushing to state and local tax for high-tax states (known as SALT) scheduled a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for 9 p.m. ET Monday. And it’s entirely possible that the House could be debating or even voting on the measure late Thursday, the wee hours of Friday morning or even Friday night.
This is how Capitol Hill rolls when there’s a big piece of legislation on the clock. The hours are late. The meetings are long. Lawmakers convene different sessions whenever they need to – just to get the measure across the finish line.
HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE THE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ STANDS, AND WHAT HAPPENS SUNDAY IN THE BUDGET COMMITTEE
The only difference between the halls of Congress now and «Nighthawks» is that the coffee fueled the figures in the painting until dawn. It was 1942. But this is 2025. Edward Hopper would know nothing of Celsius or Red Bull.
There’s an actual parliamentary reason as to why the Budget Committee met so late on Sunday night after its stumble on Friday afternoon. And there’s a method to the Rules Committee’s 1 a.m. madness on Wednesday.
Let’s rewind.
The Budget Committee tried to blend the various provisions from nearly a dozen House committees into one unified legislative product midday Friday. That effort came up short. A total of five Budget Committee Republicans voted nay. They groused about spending cuts, green energy tax credits and the timeframe of work requirements for those on Medicaid.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) listens during a mark up meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the Budget Committee met to consider House Republicans’ reconciliation bill, which includes U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tax and spending cuts. The bill faced bipartisan opposition, with five Republican members of the House Budget Committee voting against it and supporting a motion for the committee to recess for the weekend. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Four of the five GOP noes were truly opposed. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Penn., voted nay so he could order a re-vote. Rules allow a member on the winning side of an issue (in this case, the nays), to ask for another vote later. Smucker supported the plan. But he then switched his vote to nay to be on the winning side. That teed up a possible re-vote.
REPUBLICANS READY LATE-NIGHT SESSION ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AFTER GOP MUTINY
«Calling a vote moves the process forward. I think it’s a catalyst,» said Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Tex., after the failed vote Friday.
The Budget Committee then announced it would convene at 10 p.m. ET Sunday.
This is where things get interesting:
The key here was for the Budget Committee to finish its work before midnight Friday. Once it got rolling, the process would only consume 15 or 20 minutes. The Budget Committee approved the plan 17-16 with four Republicans voting «present.»
«We’re excited about what we did,» said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who was one of the GOPers who voted nay Friday.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., arrives for a meeting of House Republicans in the Capitol Visitor Center on the budget reconciliation bill on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
But Norman still wasn’t excited enough to vote yes on Sunday night. He voted present.
«There’s so much more that we have to do to rein in government and rein in the costs and the deficits,» said Norman on FOX Business Monday.
But regardless, the measure was out of the Budget Committee before the witching hour on Sunday. And then came the Rules Committee announcement – just after midnight on Monday – about a session at 1 a.m. Wednesday to ready the «big, beautiful bill» for the House floor.
There are several reasons House Rules Committee Republicans decided to huddle at 1 a.m. et Wednesday. Let’s begin with the parliamentary one.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS FACE DOWN DEM ATTACKS, PROTESTS TO PULL ALL-NIGHTER ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
The Budget Committee wrapped up just before midnight Sunday. The rules allow Democrats two full days to file their paperwork and viewpoints after that meeting. So, they had all day Monday and all day Tuesday. The Rules Committee needs an «hour» to announce its formally meeting. So, the «official» announcement of the Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday will go out just after 12:01:01 a.m. ET Wednesday. That triggers a 1 a.m. ET meeting on Wednesday.
Here are the other, more practical reasons.
Republicans need all the time they can get. There is talk of trying to vote on the floor late in the day on Wednesday. We’ll see about that. But the early Rules Committee meeting time makes that a possibility.
Second of all, it’s possible the Rules Committee meeting could consume the entire calendar day of Wednesday. Streams of lawmakers from both sides will file into the Rules Committee to propose various amendments. This is a protracted process.
The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But by the same token, meeting at 1 a.m. ET could diminish attendance. After all, who wants to show up at 1 a.m. ET for a meeting and maybe discuss your amendment at 6:30 a.m. ET? You get the idea.
And once the bill gets out of the Rules Committee, expect late night meetings among Republicans as they try to close the deal. It’s possible the House could vote at virtually any time of day Wednesday, Thursday or Friday to pass the bill. That could be late in the evening. Or even overnight. They will vote when the bill is ready, regardless of the time on the clock.
Such is the lot drawn this week by House Republicans for the «big, beautiful bill.» Maybe they’ll have the votes. Maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll pass more spending cuts. Maybe there’ll be a deal on SALT for state and local taxes. Maybe not. Maybe the vote comes at 3 in the afternoon. But more likely, sometime late at night.
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Just like in Nighthawks, everyone on Capitol Hill is just trying to make it through the night and to the dawn.
House Of Representatives,Republicans,Donald Trump,Politics,House Budget
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The European Union’s foreign policy chief said Tuesday that the bloc is consulting with Gulf countries to potentially «bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the U.S.» to get out of their war in a situation where «everybody saves face.»
Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the remark to Reuters, adding that «it would be in the interest of everybody if this war stops.»
«We have been consulting with regional countries like the Gulf countries, Jordan, Egypt, [about] whether we could also bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the U.S. to get out of this situation so that everybody saves face,» Kallas was quoted as saying.
«The problem with wars is that it’s easier to start than to stop them, and it always gets out of hand,» she also reportedly said, noting that the EU is willing to assist «diplomatically to bring the parties together to really stop this war.»
TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, left, and President Donald Trump. (Omar Havana/Reuters; Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Kallas also pushed back after President Donald Trump said over the weekend that, «Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.»
«Nobody is ready to put their people in harm’s way in the Strait of Hormuz,» Kallas told Reuters on Tuesday. «We have to find diplomatic ways to keep this open so that we don’t have a food crisis, fertilizers crisis, energy crisis as well.»
TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the new leader of Iran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday that, «We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.»
U.S. Central Command footage showing strikes on Iranian mobile missile launchers. (@CENTCOM via X)
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«Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,» Trump wrote. «In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!»
war with iran,middle east foreign policy,iran,foreign affairs,israel,the european union
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NYC $30 minimum wage proposal pushed by Mamdani would ‘obliterate’ certain industries: expert warns
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The city council in New York City is weighing a proposal to boost the minimum wage to up to $30 — a move that newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani signaled that he would sign on the campaign trail — causing consternation among the business community.
The proposal from New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse, a Democrat representing Brooklyn, would require employers to pay workers $25 an hour if those employers provide qualifying benefits and $30 an hour if not. The current $17 minimum wage would undergo a phased increase to reach $30 per hour by 2030 for businesses with 500+ employees and $29 by 2032 for smaller businesses.
Santiago Vidal Calvo, a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute, told Fox News Digital that the new law will have «unintended consequences» and «constrain the economy for everybody that actually needs the current minimum wage to live.»
«You don’t make a place more affordable by making people earn more. That’s not directly correlated in the best way,» Calvo explained. «If you have people earning more, then prices are likely going to also increase, so my question for many of those people is, okay, you’re earning more, but also prices have increased in the same amount, are you actually making things more affordable?»
SMALL NEW YORK LANDLORDS ‘AT THEIR BREAKING POINT’ UNDER MAMDANI’S HOUSING POLICIES: REPORT
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference at Deno’s Wonder Wheel on Coney Island in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn, New York City, on Feb. 15, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images)
Calvo continued, «That’s one of the fallacies that a lot of people that don’t know about economics fall into. So many of these champagne socialists go and believe that increasing the minimum wage is going to solve everybody’s problems, because people are going to earn more and prices are going to stay the same. That’s Econ 101. That’s not going to happen. That’s why many socialist countries have failed around the world.»
The legislation echoes a prominent campaign pledge from Mamdani, who promoted a «$30 by ‘30» minimum wage message.
«In the world’s richest city, making the minimum wage shouldn’t mean living in poverty,» Mamdani posted on X last year. «As Mayor, I’ll work with City Council to raise the wage floor to $30/hour by 2030. When working people have more money in their pocket, the whole economy thrives.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment on whether he intends to sign the legislation if it were to arrive at his desk, but did not receive a response.
THE SOCIALIST EXPERIMENT COMES TO NYC: MAMDANI’S VISION FOR A MORE AFFORDABLE CITY
While many proponents of raising the minimum wage argue that the cost of living in New York City makes it nearly impossible to comfortably live, business owners are warning that the increase will force a reduction in jobs for businesses that can’t absorb the wage increase, Wall Street Journal reported.
In other states across the country, minimum wage laws have had adverse effects on lower-income workers, including in Los Angeles where Fox News Digital reported earlier this year the hotel industry is already cutting workers in response to a $30 minimum wage law that recently took effect.
Calvo told Fox News Digital that workers in certain industries, like fast food and healthcare will be «completely obliterated» by a $30 minimum wage and that «young and low income workers» will be «hurt the most.»
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The sun sets on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
«We’re going to see a huge portion of the workforce just immediately disappear from the city and I think that people are underestimating how much certain sectors are going to suffer compared to others,» Calvo said.
Calvo explained the importance of the Kaitz index, an economic indicator used to gauge where the minimum wage should be compared to the economy and that most economists agree the number should be between 0.4 and 0.55.
«This proposal will likely put that Kaitz index at 1.1, which is, by many standards, if not highly interventionist, a huge economic blunder,» Calvo said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Councilwoman Nurse’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
politics,new york city,zohran mamdani
INTERNACIONAL
Una reconocida automotriz cancela tres modelos eléctricos y reporta pérdidas por USD 15.700 millones
El fabricante japonés Honda Motor Co. anunció la cancelación de tres modelos eléctricos que serían comercializados en Estados Unidos y la aplicación de un ajuste contable por USD 15.700 millones en su negocio global de electrificación. La medida fue comunicada el 12 de marzo y afecta tanto a la empresa como a la industria automotriz internacional, en un contexto de disminución de ventas de autos eléctricos y una competencia global creciente, según informó Reuters.
De acuerdo con la agencia, Honda explicó que la reestructuración obedece a la menor demanda de vehículos eléctricos en el mercado estadounidense. La compañía puntualizó que parte del ajuste financiero deriva de la depreciación de activos en China y la compensación a proveedores por los modelos cancelados. Se fusionan aquí los motivos y consecuencias: la magnitud del ajuste representa la mayor pérdida anual de la compañía en casi siete décadas, una situación relevante porque desde hace más de medio siglo la empresa no reportaba un resultado negativo de semejante escala, según datos recogidos por Fox Business y el portal especializado MotorBiscuit. El cambio de estrategia ocurre tras una baja en las ventas globales de eléctricos, la reducción de incentivos fiscales en Estados Unidos y el avance de fabricantes chinos con ciclos de desarrollo más rápidos y una inversión considerable en tecnología.
En los últimos años, Honda había presentado su línea Honda 0 Series, que incluía los modelos Saloon, SUV y Acura RSX. Todos ellos iban a fabricarse y venderse en Norteamérica a partir de 2024, anuncio realizado en la feria CES de Las Vegas en enero de ese año.
La cancelación de los modelos eléctricos Saloon, SUV y Acura RSX responde a factores económicos y de mercado. Según el comunicado oficial de Honda, la marca decidió retirar estos lanzamientos ante “la menor demanda de vehículos eléctricos en Estados Unidos y la necesidad de ajustar la estrategia según la rentabilidad y tendencias del mercado”.
La empresa también citó la presión competitiva de fabricantes chinos que, con ciclos de innovación más cortos y una inversión considerable en software y asistentes de conducción, han creado “productos con mejor relación valor-precio”, lo que afectó la competitividad de Honda en Asia y en otros mercados globales.
El ajuste anunciado es de 2,5 billones de yenes (USD 15.700 millones). Según Reuters, este monto incluye la depreciación de activos en China y los costos asociados a la cancelación de contratos con proveedores norteamericanos. Honda prevé que esta decisión le genere su primera pérdida neta anual desde 1955.
Un portavoz de la automotriz declaró a Fox Business que “la mayor parte de los costos se destinará a compensaciones para proveedores y reducción de inventarios asociados a los modelos cancelados”. La compañía también reconoció no haber alcanzado la competitividad de las empresas chinas, orientadas a la innovación rápida y la tecnología de asistencia a la conducción.
Para 2025, Honda reportó que los eléctricos representaron sólo el 2,5% de sus ventas globales, con 84.000 unidades sobre un total de 3,4 millones de vehículos, según cifras citadas por el portal especializado MotorBiscuit. En China, la empresa vendió 17.000 eléctricos, lo que también representa el 2,5% de su volumen en ese país y apenas una quinta parte de sus ventas globales de eléctricos.
De acuerdo con la consultora sectorial TrustFinance, la demanda de autos eléctricos en Estados Unidos disminuyó en los últimos dos años, mientras que las ventas de híbridos muestran crecimiento sostenido. Las fuentes consultadas atribuyen este fenómeno a la reversión de incentivos fiscales federales para la compra de eléctricos, impulsada por el gobierno de Estados Unidos, lo que encareció el acceso a estos vehículos y afectó la viabilidad de nuevos lanzamientos.
La cancelación afecta estos modelos:
- Honda 0 Series Saloon
- Honda 0 Series SUV
- Acura RSX
Estos vehículos fueron presentados en la feria CES de Las Vegas en enero de 2024 y estaban previstos como los primeros eléctricos de la nueva generación de la marca para el mercado norteamericano, según lo comunicado por Honda y reportado por Fox Business.
La política de incentivos fiscales federales para la compra de vehículos eléctricos en Estados Unidos experimentó importantes modificaciones. Según Fox Business, la eliminación de créditos fiscales para algunos modelos eléctricos elevó los costos para los consumidores, repercutiendo en la demanda y la rentabilidad proyectada para fabricantes como Honda.
Representantes de la automotriz señalaron a Reuters: “La retirada de estímulos fiscales redujo la competitividad de la oferta eléctrica en el país”. Además, existe una preferencia creciente por los híbridos, que ofrecen mayor autonomía y menores costos de uso.
Para los consumidores estadounidenses, la cancelación implica que Honda no ofrecerá, en el corto plazo, los eléctricos anunciados para la región; la gama de híbridos será ampliada y actualizada. Los proveedores vinculados a estos proyectos recibirán compensaciones, tal como se indicó en el comunicado oficial de la empresa.
La producción de eléctricos para otros mercados no fue descartada. Honda aclaró que evaluará cada caso según la rentabilidad y el contexto local y anunció: “La introducción de nuevos modelos eléctricos se analizará con flexibilidad, monitoreando la rentabilidad y tendencias del mercado”.
La nueva estrategia de Honda pone el foco en el desarrollo y comercialización de vehículos híbridos en Estados Unidos, mientras reorganiza su portafolio eléctrico a nivel global. La automotriz busca, además, fortalecer su presencia en India y mejorar la competitividad de su oferta internacional.
La empresa anticipó en su comunicado que presentará detalles de su plan estratégico para el negocio automotor en una conferencia prevista para mayo de 2026.
La competencia en China, el mayor mercado automotor del mundo, representa un desafío para Honda por el auge de fabricantes locales que priorizan ciclos de desarrollo ágiles y tecnologías avanzadas de software. Las ventas de eléctricos de Honda en China constituyeron sólo una fracción de su volumen total, y la compañía admitió su dificultad para igualar la relación valor-precio de sus competidores, según el informe oficial.
La estrategia incluye la depreciación de activos y una adaptación de la oferta al mercado local, enfatizando el desarrollo de híbridos y modelos más accesibles, conforme detalló Reuters.
Honda informó que presentará una actualización de su plan automotor durante la conferencia de mayo. El sector se mantiene atento a nuevas definiciones sobre próximos lanzamientos y a cómo la marca responderá a la evolución de la demanda global de eléctricos, las fluctuaciones regulatorias y la competencia internacional, según Fox Business y Reuters.
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Insólito: un esquiador británico terminó la Copa del Mundo de Oslo bajo los efectos del alcohol
